RS

MEMBER DIARY

Don’t Be a Victim

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Reagan

President Reagan’s words are often cited by people on both sides of the aisle in their efforts to accomplish their ideals and goals for America. Today’s young people, though, seem to be looking for a different future than the one President Reagan envisioned; demands for freebies are coming daily from America’s youth. As part of the same generation, it frustrates me to see young people caught up in the pictures of fairyland and lack of personal responsibility– why, they’re being asked, would you work when you can just let the government take care of you? Their answer is too often is simply an outstretched hand, waiting for the handouts. This idea goes completely against the America the founders had in mind and this generation of young people needs to wake up and realize that they aren’t victims.

The “entitlement generation” is moving dangerously close to supporting a full re-do of American values– one leading to the acceptance of socialistic policies as the new normal. The unofficial poster-child for this victimized attitude is Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student who demanded that the government pay for her birth control. While this demand is ridiculous in itself, let’s take it one step further: What will be the next demand from these self-proclaimed victims if the government subsidizes birth control (and, in the process, greatly offends the Catholic Church)? If this request is fulfilled, these young “victims” will stop at nothing until their lives morph into that of Julia. Without realizing what they’re really advocating, too many young people today are striving toward this by supporting the ideas and policies put in place by President Obama.

There are many avenues by which I believe this problem has reached this point. From the attitude of “everyone is a winner” to the President supporting the Occupy movement that “fights” those “evil corporations,” young people are being encouraged and nudged toward the wrong ideas. Young people are no longer being taught in schools about how great America is and the incredible opportunity we have to live in such a country– instead, youth are being taught that they deserve to have everything handed to them simply because they’re alive. They’re being taught that life should be fair and that those big corporations should pay their “fair share” and in exchange my generation shouldn’t have to do their part. Basically, they’re being taught the attitude of a victim who in reality has no basis to make such a claim.

It’s time to wake up, young people. You’re not a victim. Life isn’t fair. America guarantees you equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome; the amount of work you put into achieving your dreams will determine how close you come to reaching them. We can’t sustain a nation full of self-serving, self-proclaimed victims– it’s time to grow up and realize that you aren’t a victim just because the government isn’t paying for your birth control. Don’t be caught in the lie that you deserve to live a subsidized life. It may not be “socially acceptable,” but it’s much better than living under the thumb of a nanny-state government. Don’t be ashamed to say that America is the greatest country on earth because of what she represents: An equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of your background, to accomplish anything they can imagine and are willing to work for. America gives you every opportunity to accomplish everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

America’s youth has no choice but to make an informed decision on Election Day; going to the polls with a mindset that says “I am a victim” won’t do any good. The Constitution guarantees us “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” not “life, dependency, and the pursuit of a fair life.” You determine if your life is “fair.” The future is in our hands. The next generation has a choice in this election: A choice between the life of a victim and the life of an independent individual. Make your choice.